Our Favorite Christmas Movies
By Giselle Lam and Lina Noshadi
Christmas movies are one of the most magical ways to enjoy the holidays. There are hundred to choose from, but in our opinion, these are some of the most beloved of all the popular Christmas movies!
THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS
The Nightmare Before Christmas is about Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King, who is not fulfilled with his Halloween duties and sets out to seek other things to do, resulting in finding Christmas Town. He likes it and wants to bring Christmas Town’s magic to Halloween Town.
A ragdoll named Sally, who was created by the mad scientist Dr. Finkelstein, foresees the disaster Jack is likely to create and tries to stop him, but Jack takes over Santa’s role and calls himself Sandy Claws. Jack tries to improve Christmas, but unfortunately he creates scary toys that frighten children and put Santa in jeopardy.
Jack soon realizes his mistake and helps Santa restore order. He also starts to appreciate Sally's love for him, and together they help bring a nice Christmas back to Christmas Town.
HOME ALONE
Home Alone starts off with a normal family dinner, eating pizza and having a great time until eight-year-old Kevin, the main character, gets bullied by one of his brothers and fights back, causing quite a commotion. The whole family is angry at him and sends him to the attic to sleep for the night. Kevin gets even more frustrated and wishes his whole family would just disappear as he falls asleep in the attic.
When he wakes up, he finds that his family is gone. His wish is fulfilled! However, it's not because magic had happened – it's because the family forgot about Kevin when they left for their vacation to Paris. When the family finally realizes Kevin is missing, they are frantic, trying to get a flight back home.
During all the days home alone, Kevin comes across thieves trying to rob his house, and he comes up with clever ways to trick and prevent the robbers from coming in. And in the end, the parents make it before the robbers are able to hurt Kevin, the robbers go to jail, and the family has a happy ending!
A CHRISTMAS CAROL
A Christmas Carol is a famous novel by Charles Dickens about a grumpy old man named Scrooge, who hates everyone but has a lot of money. He has always hated Christmas and resents everybody else’s celebrations. One Christmas Eve, he falls asleep and is met by the ghost of his former business partner Marley, who was also a greedy man. Marley warns him about his actions and tells him to change or he will be bound in chains for eternity like him. Scrooge didn't mind Marley and ignored him continuing his hateful ways. Marley then told him to wait for the three Christmas spirits that would come for him. Scrooge again pays no mind to his words and just continues on with his unpleasant ways.
As he was warned, the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future appear. His past is shown to be a lonely childhood with a neglectful father and lost love. The Ghost of Christmas Present shows him the true spirit of Christmas: the joy, generosity, and celebration happening throughout the city, especially with his clerk Bob Cratchit and his nephew Fred, while also revealing the poverty and suffering of others, all to teach him empathy and to encourage him to change his miserly ways. Lastly, the Ghost of Yet to Come showed him his future, in which he dies alone with people celebrating his death. He repents his hateful and miserly ways, becomes a cheerful man, and helps give everybody a nice Christmas in the end. There are many film versions of this classic story, but one of the best is the 2009 Disney version featuring motion-capture animation, with Jim Carrey providing the voice and movements of Scrooge.
ELF
Elf is about Buddy, a human who was raised like an elf at the North Pole by Papa Elf. Buddy grows up and becomes bigger than all the elves and questions Santa why he is so different. Santa tells him he is actually a human from New York so Buddy sets off to travel to the Big Apple to find his biological father, who is a children's book publisher. It takes him a while to adjust to city life, but soon he meets his biological dad, who needs convincing that Buddy is his son. Many misunderstandings and hilarious adventures ensue, especially when Buddy discovers his dad is on the Naughty List, but eventually he and his new family help restore the Christmas spirit and aid Santa in completing his delivery of presents. Will Ferrell is hilarious as Buddy the Elf, so if you haven’t seen this one, do yourself a favor and check it out!
Christmas just isn’t the same without your favorite Christmas movies, just because of how magical they are. Classics like Elf, Home Alone, and The Nightmare Before Christmas really help bring the holiday spirit home!